What is particularly striking about this dry spell is its breadth. Fifty-five percent of the continental United States — from California to Arkansas, Texas to North Dakota — is under moderate to extreme drought, according to the government, the largest such area since December 1956. An analysis released on Thursday by the United States Drought Monitor showed that 88 percent of corn and 87 percent of soybean crops in the country were in drought-stricken regions, a 10 percent jump from a week before. Corn and soybean prices reached record highs on Thursday, with corn closing just over $8.07 a bushel and soybeans trading as high as $17.49.

National Journal has a visual guide to the drought with a number of photos (some of which we’ve shown before) depicting the impact.

How bad has the rainfall been in the center of the country? The Department of Commerce has a daily collection of weather maps. We extracted the rainfall totals for the past 90 days and animated it. Keep your eyes on the center of the country, which largely remains white. And note that green areas mark any rainfall, however light.

There is some good news: Worry not for the American entrepreneur. From that Times story:

[O]ne Indianapolis painter is making the best of the situation, according to The Indianapolis Star, by starting a new arm of his business: painting brown lawns green.

The drought is destroying America and now is the time to panic — but there’s always a buck to be made.